[kyte]

I'm so chuffed, I've had a photograph accepted
PENTAX Photo Gallery: Artist Bio - Sue Wotton

Anyone else here? That is, if there's anyone else here using Pentax... seems like its a canon/nikon enclave here, at times.

[doofus]

Congratulations on having your photo selected

[kyte]

Originally Posted by doofus

Congratulations on having your photo selected

Thanks, doofus..

[dmg]

Congrats on the pic.

Your link didn't work for me. But this did:

Australian Native Mynah

I'm in the market for a low-end DSLR and was looking at different brands. I've also found that MacTalk does seem to be Canon/Nikon enclave. They're the two dominate brands, so I shouldn't be surprised. I'll just have to get into a shop and use a Pentax, Sony, Lumix and Olympus to see what they're like. Not that a shop's a great place for getting a feel for what a camera can do.

[kyte]

Originally Posted by dmg

Congrats on the pic.

Your link didn't work for me. But this did:

Australian Native Mynah

I'm in the market for a low-end DSLR and was looking at different brands. I've also found that MacTalk does seem to be Canon/Nikon enclave. They're the two dominate brands, so I shouldn't be surprised. I'll just have to get into a shop and use a Pentax, Sony, Lumix and Olympus to see what they're like. Not that a shop's a great place for getting a feel for what a camera can do.

Thanks for that direct link.. the other was supposed just to take you to the bio page, its a shorter URL... not sure why it didnt work for you.

Re dSLR, you can still get the Pentax K200D ($688) at officeworks online, but difficult to find now in a bricks and mortar shop (and it comes with a sigma lens, not the one I got with mine)
Officeworks | Pentax K200D Digital SLR Camera

I was and remain happy with my purchase. It might not be the defacto standard for professional photographers, but its enough for me, and I am hopeful that Pentax will release a full-frame camera sometime before I die, that doesn't weigh a ton.

The advantage the K200D has over the others in its class, is that the body is weather sealed, and it has a top LCD, which you don't usually get except in high end cameras. I like that it has image stabilisation in the body, others will say they prefer it to be in the lens (which adds to lens cost, too)

I bought it with reservations at first, being price driven at the time, but have subsequently come to really like it.

I have a friend who has the Olympus E520 and she is producing some decent shots with that, I was considering it, but the cost of the lenses drive me off, as did the cost of Sony lenses. Of course I have subsequently become aware that third party, less expensive lenses are available for both Olympus and Sony... I may have made a different choice (Sony A350) had I done a lot more research prior to purchase. The point is moot now. I love my Pentax

[Lutze]

That's a total peach of a shot.

Congratulations.

What size do you have that in - I think that it would make a great desktop.

[kyte]

Originally Posted by Lutze

That's a total peach of a shot.

Congratulations.

What size do you have that in - I think that it would make a great desktop.

Thank you so much for your lovely comment (What size do you want it?)

[dmg]

Originally Posted by kyte

Re dSLR, you can still get the Pentax K200D ($688) at officeworks online, but difficult to find now in a bricks and mortar shop (and it comes with a sigma lens, not the one I got with mine)
Officeworks | Pentax K200D Digital SLR Camera

I was and remain happy with my purchase. It might not be the defacto standard for professional photographers, but its enough for me, and I am hopeful that Pentax will release a full-frame camera sometime before I die, that doesn't weigh a ton.

The advantage the K200D has over the others in its class, is that the body is weather sealed, and it has a top LCD, which you don't usually get except in high end cameras. I like that it has image stabilisation in the body, others will say they prefer it to be in the lens (which adds to lens cost, too)

I bought it with reservations at first, being price driven at the time, but have subsequently come to really like it.

I have a friend who has the Olympus E520 and she is producing some decent shots with that, I was considering it, but the cost of the lenses drive me off, as did the cost of Sony lenses. Of course I have subsequently become aware that third party, less expensive lenses are available for both Olympus and Sony... I may have made a different choice (Sony A350) had I done a lot more research prior to purchase. The point is moot now. I love my Pentax

Thanks for the link and info. Good to know there's people out there who don't own a Canon or Nikon and are happy with their purchase. Next stop... a camera store to try them out.

Dale

[T-D-J]

Pentax user here too!

I have a k100d super, with my favourite pentax/smc-M 50mm f/1.7 and pentax/smc-DA 16-45mm f/4.

Waiting for my p3n to be delivered (film SLR), and hopefully get a hold of a smc-M 50mm f/1.4.

Love the massive range of k-mount lenses available.

[lexiistardustx]

Congratulations, it's truly a remarkable shot!

Would you happen to have it a 1280 x 800?
What lens were you using by the way, the bokeh is perfect.

[kyte]

Originally Posted by lexiistardustx

Congratulations, it's truly a remarkable shot!

Would you happen to have it a 1280 x 800?
What lens were you using by the way, the bokeh is perfect.

Thanks for your kind remark.. it was a Tamron 70-300mm (at 300), dead cheap, and much better than I thought (my failures up til now have been a side effect of the photographer's lack of expertise). The bokeh isn't really, its simply an effect of a shallow depth of field, and the fact that there was no background to speak of, I was in a park at Brooklyn NSW and there was only grass way, way behind the bird and young tree.

I've now had four rejections at the Pentax gallery and am finding out just how difficult it really is to get anything in. I was very lucky.

I've made a 1280x857 (hope its okay, looks fine on my 20" screen), there's room for trimming if you want to/need to: its at
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/4...ah1280x857.jpg

[QuickSilver]

Nice work, I like the expression. I didn't know there was such a thing as a native mynah, only knew about the nuisance introduced variety. This one is much prettier.

Count me in as another Pentaxian, got a K100D when they were a bargain and available in lots of places. Now that Nikon and Canon have made more budget-conscious models it seems like the big name catalogues don't bother with Pentax any more, which is a shame. Still, we don't have to go and buy the latest expensive lenses that only work with the 'cheap' bodies. Picked up a few ordinary but inexpensive lenses on eBay to keep me entertained.

Now if I could just get out more and work on the craft I might get better at it.

[kyte]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

Nice work, I like the expression. I didn't know there was such a thing as a native mynah, only knew about the nuisance introduced variety. This one is much prettier.

Count me in as another Pentaxian, got a K100D when they were a bargain and available in lots of places. Now that Nikon and Canon have made more budget-conscious models it seems like the big name catalogues don't bother with Pentax any more, which is a shame. Still, we don't have to go and buy the latest expensive lenses that only work with the 'cheap' bodies. Picked up a few ordinary but inexpensive lenses on eBay to keep me entertained.

Now if I could just get out more and work on the craft I might get better at it.

Thanks for your comments

Understood re lenses, I haven't seriously looked at many yet. My K200D cost me $660 with the Pentax 18-55 DA II, and then I went all out (tongue in cheek here) for the Tamron lens that cost $249. I havent expanded my lens collection yet, but I've decided I really want an all in one walkabout lens so I am going to get an 18-250. If I buy in Australia it will have to be the Tamron, but if I buy from B&H, they have the Pentax version much cheaper by $40USD (total $429 USD) I want it NOW of course. Apart from that I'd like a decent macro lens and probably a Bigma. I can dream eh?

Have you (or T-D-J) ever considered switching to Canon or Nikon? I confess I have at times, just to get access to a wider variety of lenses (even the third party manufacturers are ignoring us).

[T-D-J]

Originally Posted by kyte

Thanks for your comments

Understood re lenses, I haven't seriously looked at many yet. My K200D cost me $660 with the Pentax 18-55 DA II, and then I went all out (tongue in cheek here) for the Tamron lens that cost $249. I havent expanded my lens collection yet, but I've decided I really want an all in one walkabout lens so I am going to get an 18-250. If I buy in Australia it will have to be the Tamron, but if I buy from B&H, they have the Pentax version much cheaper by $40USD (total $429 USD) I want it NOW of course. Apart from that I'd like a decent macro lens and probably a Bigma. I can dream eh?

Have you (or T-D-J) ever considered switching to Canon or Nikon? I confess I have at times, just to get access to a wider variety of lenses (even the third party manufacturers are ignoring us).

I've never considered switching to Canon or Nikon, the main reason is the k-mount lens system and the Pentax-smc lenses. I've starting shooting film and being able to get exceptionally high quality, fast, manual lenses from ebay and the like cheaply has been a huge plus. The build quality on the old pentax lenses is fantastic, very smooth focusing action with tough metal bodies. And with the k-mount you can use lenses from the 70's till now on any of the bodies made during that time.

After having a few horrible Sigma lenses, I'll never buy anything that isn't a Pentax-smc.

[kyte]

Originally Posted by T-D-J

I've never considered switching to Canon or Nikon, the main reason is the k-mount lens system and the Pentax-smc lenses. I've starting shooting film and being able to get exceptionally high quality, fast, manual lenses from ebay and the like cheaply has been a huge plus. The build quality on the old pentax lenses is fantastic, very smooth focusing action with tough metal bodies. And with the k-mount you can use lenses from the 70's till now on any of the bodies made during that time.

After having a few horrible Sigma lenses, I'll never buy anything that isn't a Pentax-smc.

I don't know a lot about the old lenses, this is my first Pentax SLR (I still have an ESPIO 738 Rangefinder which was a damn good camera and would be, still, if I could just find a battery)... do you need an adapter or do the old lenses just fit right in? I wouldn't mind at all, having access to older but better glass.

[Albert_Thurgood]

Congrats on those photos - that sunset is fantastic!

(I must say that the Pentax gallery interface is pretty clunky though!).

[kyte]

Originally Posted by Albert_Thurgood

Congrats on those photos - that sunset is fantastic!

(I must say that the Pentax gallery interface is pretty clunky though!).

Yeah its a bit naff, but oh well. That sunset, thanks for your comment It is, however, a sunrise taken at 5.30am on a day this past January. My sunset shots are nowhere near as dramatic.

Interestingly I never expected that it would be accepted... I always hoped, but thought it would get voted down. I've seen some really stunning shots get voted down, and some stuff I think is just not up there, get in.

[T-D-J]

Originally Posted by kyte

I don't know a lot about the old lenses, this is my first Pentax SLR (I still have an ESPIO 738 Rangefinder which was a damn good camera and would be, still, if I could just find a battery)... do you need an adapter or do the old lenses just fit right in? I wouldn't mind at all, having access to older but better glass.

As long as the lens is a k-mount it will fit on a pentax DSLR, the old M42 mount, also called a screw mount, won't fit. The difference is very obvious if you looking for a cheap lens on ebay.

[kyte]

Originally Posted by T-D-J

As long as the lens is a k-mount it will fit on a pentax DSLR, the old M42 mount, also called a screw mount, won't fit. The difference is very obvious if you looking for a cheap lens on ebay.

Oh thats good, I remember the screw mounts, had a friend years ago with a Pentax... I was a Minolta kid back then.